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Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)

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National Park Service Logo National Park Service

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There was much more to women's work during World War Two than 'Make Do and Mend'. They built tanks, worked in rescue teams, and operated behind enemy lines. Carol Harris spoke to women of their experiences during the conflict.

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There was much more to women's work during World War Two than 'Make Do and Mend'. They built tanks, worked in rescue teams, and operated behind enemy lines. Carol Harris spoke to women of their experiences during the conflict.

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Before the Second World War, women were expected to be 'housewives' or perhaps to do certain 'women's jobs', such as nursing or being a domestic servant or shop assistant. The war changed the world of work for women for ever. When men went to fight, women were called upon to fill their jobs, and this included many jobs that were previously thought of unsuitable for women.

Women were called up for war work from March 1941.

Jobs undertaken by women during the war included:

mechanics

engineers

Tank drivers

Building ships

Working in factories - making bombs and aircraft parts

Air raid wardens

Driving fire engines

Plumbers

Ambulance drivers

WRVS volunteers

Nurses

Women were required by the government to work.

At first, only single women aged 20-30 were called up, but by mid-1943, almost 90 per cent of single women and 80 per cent of married women were working in factories, on the land or in the armed forces.

Huge numbers of women were involved in the war effort and many joined the armed forces even though they did not have to:

640,000 in the armed forces;

55,000 serving with guns and providing essential air defence;

80,000 thousand in the Land Army;

plus many more who flew unarmed aircraft, drove ambulances, worked as nurses and worked behind enemy lines in the European resistance.

The Women's Land Army

What was the Women's Land Army?

As the prospect of war became increasingly likely, the government wanted to increase the amount of food grown within Britain. In order to grow more food, more help was needed on the farms and so the government started the Women's Land Army.

When was it started?

The Women's Land Army was set up in June 1939.

What kind of jobs did the Land Army do?

The girls of the land army looked after animals, ploughed the fields, dug up potatoes, harvested the crops, killed the rats, dug and hoed for 48 hours a week in the winter and 50 hours a week in the summer.

The women earned £1,85 for a working week with a minimum of 50 hours. In 1944 the wages were increased to £2.85.

Memorial to war women

The memorial stands in Whitehall, about a hundred yards from the cenotaph. The 22ft-high bronze sculpture depicts the uniforms and working clothes worn by women during the war.
Further information

The bronze sculpture depicts working women in the war
Photographs of women taken during the war
Find out more information about the important role of women during the war.
caber.open.ac.uk

Stories of real women in the Second World War, including journalists, secret agents and resistance fighters, as well as ordinary civilians.

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Before the Second World War, women were expected to be 'housewives' or perhaps to do certain 'women's jobs', such as nursing or being a domestic servant or shop assistant. The war changed the world of work for women for ever.

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History >>World War 2 for Kids Women played an important role for the United States in World War II. Although they did not enter combat as soldiers, many women helped by serving in thearmed forces. They also helped to keep the country together at the home front. Women worked in factories producing ships, tanks, munitions and other much needed products for the war effort.

Poster recruiting women for the armed forces
Source: National Archives

Women in the Armed Forces

Many women served in the armed forces during the war. Some served as nurses in the Army Nurse corps. This could be a dangerous job as some nurses worked in hospitals that were close to the war front. They served in a variety of areas including field hospitals, ship hospitals, medical transport planes, and evacuation hospitals. Many soldier's lives were saved by these brave nurses.

Women also served in the Women's Army Corps or WAC. This was a branch of the armed forces started up in 1942. Women served in non-combat areas such as mechanics repairing vehicles, army post offices sorting mail, and working in communications and warning systems. There were 150,000 women in the WAC by the end of the war. They served throughout the military, even landing in Normandy only a few weeks after D-Day.

Nurses in the Army
Source: National Archives

At first many men did not want women in the armed forces. It was Eleanor Roosevelt and General George Marshall who eventually got the WAC approved. Later, women troops were such good soldiers that some leaders suggested that women should be drafted.

Women's Air Force Service Pilots

Women also served as pilots as Women's Air Force Service Pilots or WASPs. These were women who already had pilot's licenses. They flew military planes between army bases and flew cargo planes carrying supplies. This freed up male pilots for combat missions.

Rosie the Riveter
Source: National Museum of American History

Rosie the Riveter

Perhaps one of the largest contributions of women during World War II was keeping our factories running. With 10 million men in the army, many women were needed to run the country's factories. They produced much needed planes, tanks, warships, guns, and other munitions for the war.

In order to inspire women to work in the factories, the US government came up with the "Rosie the Riveter" campaign. Displayed on posters and magazines, Rosie the Riveter was a character that portrayed a strong patriotic woman who worked in the factories to help the country. There was even a popular song called "Rosie the Riveter". The campaign was successful as hundreds of thousands of women entered the work force taking on jobs that had been previously done by men.

Famous Women

Here are a few of the women from around the world who became famous during World War II:

Eleanor Roosevelt - The First Lady and wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor was a strong supporter of the troops and for civil rights. She opposed the internment camps of the Japanese Americans and was active in boosting moral on the US home front.

Eleanor Roosevelt on a plane
Source: National Park Service

Queen Elizabeth - The Queen was a symbol of unity for the British against Hitler. She was a great source of moral for the troops. When she was advised to take her children and flee London, she refused saying that the King would never leave and neither would she.

Tokyo Rose - This was the name given to the Japanese women who voiced radio propaganda to the US Troops fighting Japan. She tried to demoralize the troops by continuously telling them that they could not win the war.

Eva Braun - Eva was Hitler's mistress. She married him at the end of the war, right before they committed suicide together.

Sophie Scholl - Sophie was a German woman who actively opposed the Nazis and the Third Reich. She was arrested for protesting the war and later executed. She is considered a great hero giving her life to try and stop the Nazis.

Anne Frank - Anne Frank was a Jewish girl who became famous for her diaries written while hiding from the Nazis for two years in a secret room. She eventually was caught and died in a concentration camp.

Activities

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Works Cited

History >>World War 2 for Kids

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History >>World War 2 for Kids Women played an important role for the United States in World War II. Although they did not enter combat as soldiers, many women helped by serving in thearmed forces. They also helped to keep the country together at the home front.